And here is the second nude. This one is a male.

Oh.

I bet you already figured that out.

I did this piece at the beginning of November last year. I needed some Photoshop coloring practice. Most of the color work I’ve done has had a greytone base to give the drawing weight. I’m trying to develop a coloring style that’s just layers of color. I’ve seen color done that way that’s wonderfully rich and vibrant.

I did this one after the Mutant Bug.

Sigh. I think the Bug was a more successful illustration. Probably because I’ve spent more time drawing hideous monsters than pretty women. Practice, practice.

And so we come to the end of another sketchbook. Tomorrow and Monday I’ll have a couple of new color pieces and then we’ll start on one of my piecemeal books – Started in 2002 finished in 2005.

Tomorrow I’ll post the last sketch from this sketchbook. I’m mainly saying that so I have something to say. My brain is fuzzy this morning.

If anything on this page (from spring of 2000) was drawn for a specific project I’ve forgotten now. There’s a very rough something on the right side that looks like it could be the beginnings of a Weirdsmith mask. In which case the old guy could be the Weirdsmith’s poor burnt out human alter ego. But I don’t remember any details.

I did this illustration for the front of a thank you card in 2000. After a year of managing the Southcenter Half Price Books I’d finally gone to the main office in Dallas for training. This involved touring the Dallas area stores, hanging out with other new managers, meeting Sharon “Boots” Wright and the rest of the executive staff and generally having a grand time. Upon my return to Seattle I did up a card (the final art was in color) and sent thank yous to some of the people I’d met while in Texas. I’d meant to send thank yous to everyone but unfortunately I ran out of steam about halfway through the list.

I left Half Price Books soon after. Nizzibet and I moved to Portland and I ended up working as Assistant Manager at the Powells minifranchise at PDX. Sigh. I miss working in bookstores.